Search found 1576 matches

by matt
Fri Sep 27, 2024 1:02 pm
Forum: CAD Agnostic
Topic: Best software for drawings with numerous constraints
Replies: 6
Views: 161

Re: Best software for drawings with numerous constraints

Surely, Inventor is more suitable for 3D, but, as I mentioned, it was my primary CAD system carried from university, where we used it for drawings at the same time. I am seeking for a similar software without problems that are specific to Inventor, like difficulties with handling lots of constraint...
by matt
Fri Sep 27, 2024 10:29 am
Forum: CAD Agnostic
Topic: Best software for drawings with numerous constraints
Replies: 6
Views: 161

Re: Best software for drawings with numerous constraints

Generally someone eventually is going to introduce you to the concept of best practice. It is probably considered "best practice" to break that sketch up into smaller sections, and allow each section to be somewhat self-contained. Not to say SW or any other software couldn't do it, but peo...
by matt
Tue Sep 24, 2024 7:10 pm
Forum: Solid Edge
Topic: Loft function - hull
Replies: 3
Views: 175

Re: Loft function - hull

Your sketches are a mess. The first two I checked had extra junk in them. I made some simple clean sketches of my own in your part and the Loft feature worked ok. So I'd suggest fixing your sketches. No gaps. No overlaps. Nothing extra. Lines must be end to end. And I should add that Grabcad and tha...
by matt
Tue Sep 17, 2024 5:26 pm
Forum: SW General
Topic: New for SW2025
Replies: 30
Views: 1394

Re: New for SW2025

I'm on SW2022. Dwight image.png Awww. I figured it was something like that. I'm not using the "3dx" part at all. In fact, with the Maker version, it essentially saves all your parts as student versions, which can't be opened in the regular version. So I'm being very careful that I don't h...
by matt
Tue Sep 17, 2024 3:36 pm
Forum: SW General
Topic: New for SW2025
Replies: 30
Views: 1394

Re: New for SW2025

Dwight wrote: Tue Sep 17, 2024 10:45 am Hidden in the "file" dropdown menu, along with "Replace". That usually throws me, though I use them often enough.

Dwight
Hey, Dwight,

The File menu was where I expected to see it. I'm using SW Connected, maybe it's gone in this version?
image.png
by matt
Mon Sep 16, 2024 4:19 pm
Forum: SW General
Topic: Need some ideas from the braintrust for a really cool project!
Replies: 13
Views: 381

Re: Need some ideas from the braintrust for a really cool project!

Theo Jansen was at SW World one year, and brought a contraption that was a wind powered walker

by matt
Sun Sep 15, 2024 2:53 pm
Forum: SW General
Topic: Help meeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!
Replies: 5
Views: 288

Re: Help meeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!

Maybe you can use the Windows display settings to turn off a monitor.
by matt
Fri Sep 13, 2024 5:34 pm
Forum: SW General
Topic: New for SW2025
Replies: 30
Views: 1394

Re: New for SW2025

Time for an admission. This week for one reason or another I've been using SW for the first time seriously in about 10 years. There are a lot of little things that have been added, but nothing really big. Nothing that really tripped me up. There seem to also be some things missing, but that may just...
by matt
Mon Sep 09, 2024 3:56 pm
Forum: Solid Edge
Topic: New videos posted
Replies: 2
Views: 825

Re: New videos posted

Imics13 wrote: Mon Sep 09, 2024 10:04 am Very good video series for Solidwors/SolidEdge users.

Thx for it!

All the best,
Imi
Thanks, Imre! Hope you're doing well. Haven't heard from you in a while!
by matt
Fri Sep 06, 2024 9:42 pm
Forum: Job Listings
Topic: CAD recruiters and agencies
Replies: 14
Views: 714

Re: CAD recruiters and agencies

Not sure what your question is. "People like this" means what? Do you mean recruiters? I don't think there's one central agency you go to for drafters. There are a million agencies. And once you find out who they are, they won't let you forget. A lot of them are from India. You'll find the...
by matt
Mon Aug 26, 2024 5:30 pm
Forum: SW General
Topic: SWPUC34 Has Been Launched
Replies: 3
Views: 480

Re: SWPUC34 Has Been Launched

I only have a problem with people who haven't contributed, and you're definitely a contributing member.
by matt
Thu Aug 22, 2024 11:55 am
Forum: Solid Edge
Topic: New videos posted
Replies: 2
Views: 825

New videos posted

I updated a set of videos for SW users making the switch to SE to include SE 2024 changes. Kind of an embarassing number of exclamation points in the text, but other than that, fun stuff.

by matt
Sat Aug 17, 2024 9:21 am
Forum: SW General
Topic: What exactly causes references to break?
Replies: 14
Views: 1240

Re: What exactly causes references to break?

This is something I've run into on most complex projects eventually. Edges will sometimes change types. For example from a circle to an ellipse or ellipse to spline. This can cause the reference to be lost. Also a single edge may turn into multiple edges due to tolerance values in a trim feature. On...
by matt
Thu Aug 01, 2024 6:12 pm
Forum: SW General
Topic: Watta bunch of douchebags......
Replies: 25
Views: 2634

Re: Watta bunch of douchebags......

what I meant if a feature does not exist in past version it is not exported. At least this is how it was explainaled to me When was the last time they actually added a feature? I mean one that people use? Really. It's a weak argument obviously decorating over the fact that the "reverse compati...
by matt
Fri Jul 26, 2024 10:40 am
Forum: What's Wrong?
Topic: Server unavailable errors
Replies: 17
Views: 3042

Re: Server unavailable errors

It appears that there was some very minor hacking damage. I was able to replace a couple of damaged files with back up data, and things appear to be back to normal. I'll try to reinstate the Best Answer add in, and see if that was the source or the victim. Just keep reporting any problems.
by matt
Thu Jul 25, 2024 9:15 pm
Forum: What's Wrong?
Topic: Server unavailable errors
Replies: 17
Views: 3042

Re: Server unavailable errors

SPerman wrote: Thu Jul 25, 2024 3:56 pm First this
image.png

Then this

image.png

For me, it started about 3:15 EDT.
Yeah, everybody hold tight. I've got the hosting service working on this.
by matt
Wed Jul 24, 2024 5:26 pm
Forum: What's Wrong?
Topic: Server unavailable errors
Replies: 17
Views: 3042

Re: Server unavailable errors

If I click on the main link for the "Watercooler Talk" I see the problems in the header. If I click on the link for the latest page, the header looks normal. image.png I see the same behavior out of the "Jokes" thread. Ok, I didn't see the problem, but the watercooler was defini...
by matt
Wed Jul 24, 2024 4:20 pm
Forum: What's Wrong?
Topic: Server unavailable errors
Replies: 17
Views: 3042

Re: Server unavailable errors

[phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/ext/kinerity/bestanswer/event/main_listener.php on line 514: Undefined array key "poster_answers" [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/ext/kinerity/bestanswer/event/main_listener.php on line 514: Undefined array key "poster_answers"...
by matt
Wed Jul 24, 2024 12:02 pm
Forum: What's Wrong?
Topic: Server unavailable errors
Replies: 17
Views: 3042

Re: Server unavailable errors

On a possibly different note, every time I open the watercooler talk thread, I get these message across the top of the screen: image.png I am using firefox that is managed by IT, so it could be an internal problem, but I wanted to point it out in case it is related. image.png Uhhhhh, are you openin...
by matt
Wed Jul 24, 2024 10:58 am
Forum: What's Wrong?
Topic: Server unavailable errors
Replies: 17
Views: 3042

Re: Server unavailable errors

Whatever it was, it was intermittent and seems to be over now. Might have been a backup or an update being performed. The logs didn't reflect anything recognizable. We've had a fair number of attempted spam registrations, so it might also have been a spike in malicious traffic/DDoS. Nothing appears ...
by matt
Tue Jul 23, 2024 6:35 pm
Forum: What's Wrong?
Topic: Server unavailable errors
Replies: 17
Views: 3042

Re: Server unavailable errors

Yeah, something's happening. I'm on it.
by matt
Mon Jul 22, 2024 3:29 pm
Forum: What's Wrong?
Topic: Can't send Direct Messages
Replies: 6
Views: 989

Re: Can't send Direct Messages

I need to post more messages here? I have 63 posts. How can I have some approved? No, I'm sorry. I looked at the number of answers you had rather than the number of posts. Whoever you sent the PM to has not read it. Same situation as Carrie Ives. Try sending an email to the person, or check when th...
by matt
Mon Jul 22, 2024 2:11 pm
Forum: What's Wrong?
Topic: Can't send Direct Messages
Replies: 6
Views: 989

Re: Can't send Direct Messages

Direct messages sit in your outbox until the recipient reads them. This is just a quirk of how the phpbb works. If you have fewer than 3 approved messages posted, you won't be able to send direct messages. So mgibeault , just post a couple more messages that don't look spammy, and you'll be able to ...
by matt
Mon Jul 22, 2024 11:51 am
Forum: CAD Agnostic
Topic: Industrial Design => engineering Workflow
Replies: 17
Views: 2486

Re: Industrial Design => engineering Workflow

len_1962 wrote: Mon Jul 22, 2024 10:18 am ...

EDIT: Matt we we need the Stirring the Pot emoj and the S H I T Hitting the fan on too like Practical Machinist Forum has.
Probably not the same icons, but here they are: [stir] and [fan]
by matt
Fri Jul 19, 2024 9:09 am
Forum: SW General
Topic: PLM options for SolidWorks?
Replies: 12
Views: 2575

Re: PLM options for SolidWorks?

This is old news, but in a previous life I used something called ProductCenter. https://essigplm.com/products/productcenter/ This has gone through multiple owners over the years. What I liked most about the company and the product was that they used their own software to manage their business, and t...
by matt
Fri Jul 19, 2024 8:31 am
Forum: CAD Agnostic
Topic: Industrial Design => engineering Workflow
Replies: 17
Views: 2486

Industrial Design => engineering Workflow

When your project needs ID type work, how do you handle it? Does the ID come from another software like Rhino or Shapr3D or Illustrator, or do you do it directly in your engineering CAD tool? And when you get ID data from some non-engineering software source, do you just work with the imported data ...
by matt
Mon Jul 15, 2024 6:12 pm
Forum: SW General
Topic: Mass vs. weight
Replies: 15
Views: 2057

Re: Mass vs. weight

No, you're not missing anything. SW is playing fast and loose with the definition of weight. They are assuming weight at average sea level on Earth. If you need something more accurate or for a different "locale", I'd work in metric and then calculate actual/local weight later when you nee...
by matt
Thu Jul 11, 2024 2:14 pm
Forum: Catia and 3DX
Topic: Experience with 3DExperience
Replies: 8
Views: 2038

Re: Experience with 3DExperience

@matt, Do you have any other version of SWX installed on that same computer? I think the Maker version cannot be installed on a computer with any other version of SWX. No, I have not had my commercial license of SW actually installed on my work machine for some time now. I still own one, but it isn...
by matt
Thu Jul 11, 2024 1:05 pm
Forum: Catia and 3DX
Topic: Experience with 3DExperience
Replies: 8
Views: 2038

Re: Experience with 3DExperience

Ok, spacemouse busted for this version.
image.png
Fortunately there's a fix... http://3dconnexion.com/uk/drivers

Maybe AI could get a PHBB forum fact checker. Seems a big need for that sort of thing.
by matt
Thu Jul 11, 2024 12:37 pm
Forum: Catia and 3DX
Topic: Experience with 3DExperience
Replies: 8
Views: 2038

Experience with 3DExperience

For one reason or another, I just bought the Maker version. It was stupid cheap - $38. If nothing else, I can get a couple of blog or forum posts out of it and feel like I haven't completely wasted my money. The first thing I get is this: image.png Figuring out what to do was not entirely straight f...
by matt
Thu Jun 27, 2024 2:56 pm
Forum: How To Questions
Topic: How to create INDENTED FINGER GRIPS (TTT Video Tutorial)
Replies: 1
Views: 554

Re: How to create INDENTED FINGER GRIPS (TTT Video Tutorial)

These techniques have existed for decades. https://dezignstuff.com/yall-have-a-handle-on-this-handle-challenge/ https://episodes.dezignstuff.com/blog/1-4-12-working-from-industrial-design-sketches/ https://dezignstuff.com/project-examples/medical-devices/ https://episodes.dezignstuff.com/blog/brep-a...
by matt
Thu Jun 27, 2024 12:46 pm
Forum: SW General
Topic: why won't it cut in the direction I'm telling it to?
Replies: 4
Views: 1016

Re: why won't it cut in the direction I'm telling it to?

It's hard to see what you're trying to do, but it looks like the sketch projects outside of the bounds of the face, which SW is going to respond badly to. I personally would try to just select the faces of the rib and use Delete Face. You're trying to get rid of the rib, right?
by matt
Wed Jun 26, 2024 11:21 am
Forum: SW General
Topic: What's wrong with my Lofting?
Replies: 5
Views: 950

Re: What's wrong with my Lofting?

It looks like you're trying to move from too much of the small end to the large end. You should be using at most 1/2 of the small end. Plus, you're definitely trying to loft too much at once. A loft should be a single smooth feature. The big squarish end should be an extrude. The loft should be from...
by matt
Tue Jun 25, 2024 12:06 pm
Forum: Solid Edge
Topic: Small Business PLM - Zel X
Replies: 5
Views: 1759

Re: Small Business PLM - Zel X

Thanks for asking the question, that led me to research a little. When I first put a Solid Edge file in, it went in as a *.par file - Solid Edge format. But when I edited it inside of Zel X, it was converted to an NX file - *.prt. The edits happened in a way that looks like a synchronous edit. Then ...
by matt
Tue Jun 25, 2024 10:02 am
Forum: Solid Edge
Topic: Small Business PLM - Zel X
Replies: 5
Views: 1759

Small Business PLM - Zel X

Siemens recently released what is a bit of a revolution for small businesses in design and manufacturing. They took big-time PLM functions, slimmed them down a little, bundled them on the cloud, and are now offering it as a kind of mid-range PLM platform. It has slimmed down NX, Xcelerator Share, CA...
by matt
Tue Jun 11, 2024 11:19 am
Forum: General Biz and Announcements
Topic: Added a Shapr3D Forum
Replies: 0
Views: 1815

Added a Shapr3D Forum

Due to the amount of traffic asking specifically about Shapr3D, I've added a new forum dedicated to that software, and moved some of the existing topics from other places to that forum.
by matt
Wed Jun 05, 2024 9:04 am
Forum: How To Questions
Topic: How to accept failed feature; setting?
Replies: 21
Views: 2060

Re: How to accept failed feature; setting?

I requested this enhancement many times in the past, which might be why it never made it into the software. Complex fillets, lofts, take a lot of clicks to set up. And when they don't work, it becomes a research project. Failed features would also be helpful for macros. SolidWorks users have always ...
by matt
Tue Jun 04, 2024 6:20 pm
Forum: Shapr3D
Topic: Shapr 3D
Replies: 1
Views: 719

Re: Shapr 3D

Someone other than my mother saw those? Interesting. Anyway, for certain makers it can be a useful tool. More than that, I think elements of the interface might be influential on professional cad products. I also think they made a big mistake adding history. Their schtick was simplicity. They did a ...
by matt
Wed May 22, 2024 3:46 pm
Forum: Solid Edge
Topic: Does anyone effectively use FOA in SE?
Replies: 5
Views: 1808

Re: Does anyone effectively use FOA in SE?

What's the problem? Is there something specific?

by matt
Mon May 13, 2024 11:21 pm
Forum: How To Questions
Topic: Challenging geometry problem
Replies: 18
Views: 2895

Re: Challenging geometry problem

Yeah, the swept solid cut sounds right. You may have to use a straight line for the path and the helix centerred on the line as a guide curve to get it to twist correctly.
by matt
Thu May 09, 2024 12:57 pm
Forum: What's Wrong?
Topic: Negative Like
Replies: 4
Views: 1357

Re: Negative Like

When it removes a like it's usually that it thinks you have liked it before and you're just undoing that like. Or maybe it was confused. Or maybe I got that plugin from DS?
by matt
Mon May 06, 2024 7:40 pm
Forum: SW General
Topic: In-Context relationships, intermittently, losing association.
Replies: 18
Views: 3346

Re: In-Context relationships, intermittently, losing association.

The problem I saw was that the internal names of edges would get changed due to changes in the model - sometimes seemingly unrelated. Sometimes it's just the edge projection type that changes, not the name. For example, if you have an edge between two cylindrical faces, that edge could project as a ...
by matt
Mon May 06, 2024 12:54 pm
Forum: How To Questions
Topic: Turning a complex part into one solid body for mold making
Replies: 5
Views: 1447

Re: Turning a complex part into one solid body for mold making

This is likely a casting. You may have to use a lost wax process. There are processes where you don't need draft (processes where you're going to destroy/not reuse the cast and cores for each part). In these cases, you don't need to design the cast/mold. You'd just build an original part (plus shrin...
by matt
Wed Apr 24, 2024 8:44 am
Forum: How To Questions
Topic: SW Winglet
Replies: 2
Views: 993

Re: SW Winglet

Image
by matt
Mon Apr 22, 2024 9:20 am
Forum: General Biz and Announcements
Topic: Trouble Creating Account
Replies: 0
Views: 1672

Trouble Creating Account

If you have had trouble creating a new account, try it again, and make it more obvious that you're a real CAD user. We get inundated here with scam/spam accounts, and I delete many of these each week. When I slack up on them, we get spammed. So I'm sorry if I now and then delete a legitimate account...
by matt
Fri Apr 19, 2024 10:59 am
Forum: SW General
Topic: Standard Parts Library: Configurations or Individual Parts?
Replies: 42
Views: 6725

Re: Standard Parts Library: Configurations or Individual Parts?

This is one area where Solid Edge is definitely a better tool. Solid Edge "Family of Parts" is like configurations, except all of the configs are separate files. You can manage them all from a single place. So you get the convenience of SW Configs with the stability of individual parts. In...
by matt
Thu Apr 18, 2024 12:28 pm
Forum: SolidWorks FAQ
Topic: Multiple Config. Part fails to reload specific configuration
Replies: 9
Views: 1939

Re: Multiple Config. Part fails to reload specific configuration

This happens to toolbox frequently. It's not really a bug, it's kind of a feature designed into the system. It happens to toolbox when a new user who only has the default toolbox parts and hasn't built all the configurations opens an assembly and saves it. If you have multiple users and multiple ver...
by matt
Thu Mar 28, 2024 10:27 am
Forum: How To Questions
Topic: Recommendations on how to model this part
Replies: 17
Views: 2769

Re: Recommendations on how to model this part

You can make the ramp shape with a surface and then extrude a pair of nested circles up to the surface. Or you could extrude a cylinder, make a hole in it, sweep a rectangle along a helix to make a solid cut, and then do a little extrusion on the bottom to make the flat. There are a thousand ways to...
by matt
Thu Mar 21, 2024 4:42 pm
Forum: SW General
Topic: Help with guide curves
Replies: 15
Views: 2486

Re: Help with guide curves

You're also using a path, right? Is the center of the ellipse "pierced" by the path? I don't actually have SW installed right in front of me, so I can't look at your file. The GC also needs to pierce the ellipse point. Make sure you're using the correct option "follow path and first g...
by matt
Mon Mar 18, 2024 3:22 pm
Forum: How To Questions
Topic: Help with Loft
Replies: 5
Views: 1278

Re: Help with Loft

I'd also be open to paying for some instruction on this (like on a Zoom session or something) and making it worth your while if you'd be interested in that. If you're serious about that, just go to the Surfacing Episodes site (https://episodes.dezignstuff.com/blog/) and go through all the topics li...